Double Major.. Bad GPA in one of my Majors.. I really need help!

[jjj01]

I will be getting B.S in biology at the end of this semester.

However, I have been taking some psychology classes, and I think I'm more passionate about

studying psychology than biology.

So, I'm thinking about going to graduate school and get M.S or Ph.D in psychology.

But, my problem is, I have bad science (biology) GPA (in the low 2~ range), and it brought down my cumulative GPA.

My psychology major GPA is okay (3.4+) 

I heard that most of graduate programs look at your cumulative GPA.

So, is this mean even if I have good psychology major GPA, it would be hard to get accepted to psychology program?

I still have about 16 more credit hours of psychology classes to take, and I'm thinking about staying one or more semester in college

to get psychology degree.

Since I have taken more than 100 credit hours,

I don't think my GPA would improve by much even if I stay in school for extra semester or two.

If it will be difficult to get into psychology graduate programs, I'm not sure if I should stay in school.

In that case, would it be better if I just graduate at the end of this semester with a biology degree?

 

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Edited March 14, 2013 by jjj01

[MarieCRL]

Are your dreams entirely dead? No.

 

There are Low GRE/Low GPA success stories all over this forum. Mine included. I performed abysmally my first 3 semesters in undergrad, and it wasn't for a lack of trying. I spent my last 2 years trying to make up for it. 

 

When I graduated, I had an overall GPA of 2.85. I decided to enroll in a science post-baccalaureate program in order to boost my GPA and figure out exactly what I wanted to do career-wise.

 

I was able to increase my GPA to a 3.08, allowing me to at least meet the minimum graduate school requirements for most programs.

 

My GRE scores are decent. I also got a job related to my field, allowing me to gain some research experience and obtain some great letters of recommendation in the process.

 

I'm going to graduate school in the fall, and I'm very excited about it!

 

There are some schools out there that are willing to overlook an underwhelming GPA. You will have to work harder than some, and your path will be a bit curved, but you can do it. 

 

Work experience, strong letters of recommendation, good GRE scores, and a great statement of purpose can offset a "bad" GPA.

 

As for whether or not you should double major, that's up to you.

 

If you plan on moving forward with psychology, it would be beneficial to double major. That would allow you to hone in on your interests and decide exactly what you want to study in the field of psychology (if you don't know already). Plus, you only have 16 more credit hours. That's like 6 courses? You might as well just finish those classes.

 

But, if you decide to graduate, you could take some graduate-level courses at a local college, which would help GPA-wise and show graduate schools that you can handle graduate level coursework. And work experience always helps!

 

I would imagine that while most graduate schools set the minimum GPA requirements, the actual psychology program is going to be more concerned with your performance in your psychology courses, which you are doing well in. Not all hope is lost.

 

It's "difficult" for anyone to get into a graduate program, no matter how awesomely high (or low) their GPA is. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try. If this is what you really want, then you need to be willing to do what you must to make it happen.

 

No one said it was going to be easy.

[pears]

 Work experience, strong letters of recommendation, good GRE scores, and a great statement of purpose can offset a "bad" GPA.

 

QFT- took the words right out of my mouth (hands?). i studied my butt off for the GREs and crushed them, polished up my writing sample and SoP until they were irritatingly shiny, asked professors and supervisors with whom i had strong personal connections (i.e., first-name basis, chatting "just to say hi," would share some beers with them over dinner) for LoRs, and have been working all year at various jobs directly related to what i want to do (on top of internships that i did while i was an undergrad- in all, i'll have 2 years of directly related experience after this summer). i got one rejection- i fared really well. you can make up for bad numbers with better numbers elsewhere and great writing.

[midnight]

I think you should stay the course and focus on your psychology classes. You could boost your 3.4 psych GPA significantly by earning all A's for those last 16 credits, and it will only be beneficial for your app to show an upward trend in your grades, especially in upper-level coursework.

 

Psych is a highly competitive field, as I'm sure you know. There are no guarantees even with a 4.0. But if you work hard and follow the advice from the others here, I truly think you will better your chances.

 

Also, if you haven't already, ask people on the psych forum what they think. Check the results page to get a general idea of the kinds of stats accepted applicants have. Start researching schools and see if there are potential POIs and programs that match your interests--fit is very important.

 

Good luck!